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Ethics Issues

In: Business and Management

Submitted By pepper1a
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Business ethics play a critical role in the way corporations do business around the globe this day in time. According to Cuevas Moreno, the rapid growth of a global economy and “advancement in technology in the past two decades have brought business ethics and moral values to a different level” (2006, p. 60). Recently, interest in business ethics has increased and has gained more visibility after the Enron scandal.
The purpose of this paper is to describe what business ethics is in today’s business environment and to discuss ethical issues that affect the airline industry in the United States. Furthermore, this paper discusses executive compensation after September 11.
De George (2006) defines business ethics as “the moral evaluation” of the American free market economic system and any of its variations or modifications (2006, p. 20). Although corporations are the primary targets of moral evaluation, so are employee unions and all business practices and consumers are scrutinized (p. 23).
Conversely, De George (2006) suggests that “corporate governance, reverse discrimination, truth in advertising, whistle blowing and disclosure are not clear cut,” so these issues require careful analysis and weighing of appropriate facts in order to get answers (p. xii).
Advancements in technology facilitate easy dissemination of information, so business-leaders are challenged with setting up the standards for their corporations to operate profitably within the legal boundaries of the communities they serve. Nonetheless, corporations have the obligation to abide by regulations.
In the airline industry, compliance to safety and security directives increases exponentially after the tragic events of September 11, 2001. As a result, the operating costs associated with fuel and new requirements to comply with grow rapidly, so airlines are required to take drastic measures

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